L.A. Times Columnist Uncritically Quoted Star of Latest ACORN Video  —  In September, L.A. Times columnist James Rainey wrote a column in which he uncritically quoted ACORN worker Lavelle Stewart suggesting that she had turned Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe out of her office:

Rudy Giuliani to run for U.S. Senate; If elected may aim for White House in 2012  —  Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani has decided not to run for governor next year - but will run for U.S. Senate instead, sources told the Daily News.  —  A source familiar with Giuliani's thinking …

Ben Nelson threatens filibuster  —  Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said Thursday that he would prevent health reform from moving to final passage if restrictions on federal funding for abortion weren't tightened during the amendment process.  But, he added, “there are a lot of other things …

Charles Krauthammer on the perverse logic of Attorney General Eric Holder  —  F or late-19th-century anarchists, terrorism was the “propaganda of the deed.”  And the most successful propaganda-by-deed in history was 9/11 — not just the most destructive, but the most spectacular and telegenic.

Palin's Gold Mine  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Sarah Palin sold 300,000 copies of Going Rogue on its first day of sale, Duff McDonald has learned.  One component of a media rollout that doubled as a a one-woman economic stimulus package.  —  Did you hear that Sarah Palin has a book out?

Alan Blinder: Danger lies in threat to Fed independence  —  The Federal Reserve's performance in this long-running financial and economic crisis deserves separate grades.  For the early crisis period, from the summer of 2007 until a few weeks after the Lehman Brothers failure in mid-September 2008, the Fed's response was uneven.

VIRUS in the VOTING MACHINES: Tainted Results in NY-23  —  GOUVERNEUR, NY - The computerized voting machines used by many voters in the 23rd district had a computer virus - tainting the results, not just from those machines known to have been infected, but casting doubt on the accuracy of counts retrieved from any of the machines.

The $100 Million Health Care Vote?  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports:  —  What does it take to get a wavering senator to vote for health care reform?  —  Here's a case study.  —  On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”

W.H. SHRINKS HANUKKAH PARTY  —  The White House's forthcoming state dinner with the Prime Minister of India is expected to be larger than those of President Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.  But another upcoming White House event will be smaller than in years past: The White House's annual Hanukkah party.

Easy Loans in Expensive Areas  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In January, Mike Rowland was so broke that he had to raid his retirement savings to move here from Boston.  —  A week ago, he and a couple of buddies bought a two-unit apartment building for nearly a million dollars.

Lincoln Holds Lead Over Potential Senate Opponents;  —  Vote on Healthcare Bill Could Change Race  —  Utica, NY - Zeroing in on Arkansas, home of swing vote Senator Blanche Lincoln, a new poll by Zogby International finds deep opposition to the healthcare reform proposals pending in the Senate.

Major Hasan's E-Mail: 'I Can't Wait to Join You' in Afterlife  —  American Official Says Accused Shooter Asked Radical Cleric When Is Jihad Appropriate?  —  United States Army Major Nidal Hasan told a radical cleric considered by authorities to be an al-Qaeda recruiter, “I can't wait to join you” …

John Kerry's Daughter — Busted  —  Senator John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra Forbes Kerry, was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.  —  It went down in Hollywood at 12:40 AM in Hollywood.  Alexandra, a 36-year-old film producer and director …

Poll: Majority Of Republicans Think Obama Didn't Actually Win 2008 Election — ACORN Stole It!  —  The new national poll from Public Policy Polling (D) has an astonishing number about paranoia among the GOP base: Republicans do not think President Obama actually won the 2008 election — instead, ACORN stole it.

A Crown Jewel of Education Struggles With Cuts  —  BERKELEY, Calif. — As the University of California struggles to absorb its sharpest drop in state financing since the Great Depression, every professor, administrator and clerical worker has been put on furlough amounting to an average pay cut of 8 percent.

Senate confirms controversial judge  —  The Senate confirmed Judge David Hamilton to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals 59-39 Thursday after breaking a GOP filibuster Tuesday and a five-and-a-half month delay.  —  Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who represents Hamilton's home state of Indiana …

Oprah Winfrey to End Her Talk Show  —  The media mogul Oprah Winfrey will end her daytime talk show, “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” in 2011 as she prepares to start a cable channel of her own.  —  A spokeswoman for Ms. Winfrey's production company confirmed Thursday evening that Ms. Winfrey …

All Eyes on Pittsburgh  —  Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl, just seven years out of college, is igniting ire with his plan to levy a 1 percent tax on tuition collected by the city's 10 nonprofit colleges and universities.  —  Introduced as part of Ravenstahl's 2010 budget less than a week …